Electrically-propelled vehicle.



11o. 6.15.1183. PATENTBD DBC.11, 1906. R. THAYBR & J. LEDW1NKA. BLECTRIGALLY PROPELLBD 11511101.11.

APPLIOATION FILED 11u24, 190e.

2 SHEETS-s 1.

FIG. I.

No. 838,283. v PATENTED DEC. l1, 1906. R. 'EBAYER-z J. LEDWINKA. ELECTRIGALLY PROPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLUATION FILED MAY 24. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. l

UNITED ISings IPlgrEN'r -oEEIcE RUSSELL THAYER AND JOSEPH LEDWINKaoE PHiLADELPI-HA," PENN- SYLVANIA; SAID LEDWINKA 4ASSIGNOR To SAID THAYER.

ELEcTmoALLY-PROELLED vE'HloLE.

Ne. 838,283. i

To all whom Ltmay con-cern,.-

Be it known that we, RUSSELL THAYER and JOSEPH LEDWINKA, of the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain neviT andv useful Improvement in Electrically-Propelled Vehicles, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Our im rovement relates to an electric#v allyeprope led vehicle which derives its motor-current alternately from an external.

supply system andfrorn a storage battery carried by the vehicle.

In the form of our invention hereinafter described the vehicle is constructed and arranged to coperate with a railwaysupply system whose electric circuit includes an overhead lsupply-wire and a subjacent track, the latter com rising parallel rails.- Said vehicle is provi ed with wheels which lsupport it independently of said rails while the vehicle-motor is -in electrical connection ply-wire ma beselectively connected with said control ers, Said pole being pivotaliy supported by a bridge extending transversely with respect to the vehicle-body and adjustable in the direction oi' the length oithe vehicle. ASaid vehicle `also comprises motors which are respectively local to said supporting-wheels, and said wheels are independently dirigible to facilitate the progression of lthe vehicle in limited areas. convenient' to so construct and arrange the electrical circuits in the vehicle that said motors are connected in series relation when operated by the external supply systemand in parallel relation when operated by the internal battery-supply system. Moreover, to

'enable said contact-wheels to retain electrical connection with the track regardless ofl slight lateral digression of the vehicle Said' contact-wheels are disposed in axially-connected pairs, and each pair is carried by an independently-movable oscillatory frame in such pivotal connection with the vehicle as Specification of Letters Patent.

Application iiled May 24,1906. Serial No. 318,468

W'e also find it- Patented Dec. 1 1, 1908.

.to be adjustable transverse] with respect to' the latter while engaged wit said rails.

Ourinvention-comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinaftermore' definitely s eciiied.

In the drawings, Figure is a side elevation of a vehicle conveniently embodying our invention. Fig. II' is an end elevation o 'I` said vehicle as seen frohi the left-hand end of,

Fig. I. Fig. III is a fragmentary plan view showing the construction and arrangement of. lthe` means for making contactwith the rais.

Referring te rige. reed-*11, che vehicle comprises the-frame 1, which sup orts the -body 2, which is open at the top an has the hopper-shaped bottom 3, provided with dumpingdoors 4, which exist u onopposite sides of said ho per,only one, owever, being shown in ig. I. Said vehicle is provided With four supporting-wheels 5, each having an individual motor 6, and each wheel and its motor may be turnedin a horizontal plane upon vertically-disposed .trunnions 7 which are in rigid relation with the respective motor-casings 8. Said trunnions 7 are supported in bearings 9 and 10, at the respectivelyopposite ends o fthe bars y11 and" 12, which bars are rigidly connected by the vertical braces 14 to form axle-frames at the y respectively opposite ends of the vehicle.

Said wheels 5 are coupled in pairs at theA respectlyely opposite ends of thevehicle,v

each pair beimy in operative connection with a vertical sha t 1-5, rovided with a handwheel 16, so that sai wheels are dirigible by manipulation of said hand-wheels 16 4to d e- 'termlne the direct-ionof progression of the vehicle. Said vmotors may be electrically connected, either in series or parallel relation,

withfeach other by means .oflcontrollers 17, which are conveniently located beneath the chauffeurs seats 18 at the respectively opposite ends of the vehicle, and each` comprises an operating-lever 19. Each of s'aid two con; trollers is provided with a socket 20, arranged to seleotivelyreceive the plug 21 on the iieXible electrical conductor 22, which latter extends to the pole 24, rovided with the trolley 25 at its upper enciifor'electrical connection with an overhead sup ly-Wire. Said pole 24 is pivoted at 2,6 on t e brid e 28, having the bearings 30, which are slid-ab e longitudinally with respect to the vehicle on IOO 2 ses the anges 31 at the opposite edges of said 'l 32, which tends to normally uplift said pole for engagement with said supply-wire. However, as shown in the drawings; said pole is maintained in lowered positin by the rope 34, which is detachably secured at its lowerA end to the cleat 35 on said body 2.

The railway supply systemwithV which said vehicle is arranged to coperate comprisesan overhead supply-Wire,I which is located -so far'above the vehicle as to be necessarily omitted from the drawings, and the subjacent'track, comprising the arallel'rails 37. Said vehicle is arranged to ma e electrical connection with said rails 37 alternately at opposite-ends'of the vehicle by means of the verticallye'oscillatory frames 38, which each carry a shaft' 40, provided at its opposite ends with contact-wheels 41, which respectively registerwithsaid rails 37. Said frames 38 each comprise a bearing 4-2, which engages a shaft 43, upon which sald'frame may oscillate vertically and slidelaterally, so that saidcontactlwheels 41may retainlelectrical connection with the rails despite slighnlateralv di gressionof the vehicle with respectl to said rails, it being noted that said vehicle-supporting wheels 5 are axially farther 'apart than said'rails 37, as shown in Fig. II, so as to support said vehicle independently of said rails 37 while the vehicle-motors are in electrical connection with the latter. cated in Fig. III, said shaft-43 is rigidly supported by the brackets 44, extending from the axle-frame bar 12.

The electricalncontact devices, comprising the frames 38, wheels 41, &c., may be alternately raised and lowered'at the respectively opposite ends of the vehicle by.means of the flexible connect ors 50 and links 51, extending to the levers 52, which are in rigid relation with respective rock-shafts 53, so as to be raised and lowered by means of the hand-` levers 54, having the respective deten't devices 55, arranged to selectively engage the notches in the sectors 56. It is to be understood that saidcontactfdevices, comprising the frames 38 and contact-wheels 41 are only utilized when the vehicle is in connection with 'the external supply system and are then used in alternation in accordance with the direction of traverse of the vehicle with respect to the overhead wireand subjacent tracks of said external system. For instance, as shown in Fig. I, the vehicle is arranged to traverse ina direction toward the left, the wheels 41 at that end-being raised,- and thus electrically disconnected, and'the Wheels 41 .at the Aright-handend of said vehicle being lowered into electrical connectionyviththe4k track by themechanism above described. Whenit is desired-to electricallyrdisconnect the vehicle from the external'supply system, 1

vided with the both of said frames 38 are uplifted, and switchmechanism adjunctive to the controllers 17, whichis contemporaneouslyoperated,changes the connections from the external supplycircuit to the internal supply-circuit, so as to include the batteries 60 in connection with vsaid motors. Said batteries are conveniently located in the receptacles 61, which are prodoors 62 at the opposite ends of the vehicle, so that'said batteries may be readily accessible.

The vehicle aforesaid is particularly adapted for transporting aterial as coal-for instance,l ten tense-and the bridge 28 is mounted movable. relation with the open-topped body'2 in orderthatit large mass of such mav may be shifted/to one end or the other offsaid body to facilitate'the loadingof the vehicle,

las well as to alternately effect' connection Abetween the pole 24 andthe vrespectivecon-v troller's 17 in accordance with the fdirection lin which it is desired'to progress the vehicle.

The arrangement above described', wherebythe vehicle may bel controlled from either end thereof, is advantageous in that=itmay be caused to traverse first in one direction and then in the other a street which is too narrow to permit it to turn around`that is to say, the vehicle may be 'progressed to ytheleft with reference to Fig. I-'-with the-parts' in the position-shown, and it being desired to then progress the vehicle toward the right with respect to said figure the plug 21 may e removed from the controller-socket 20 at the left-hand'end of the vehicle-body'Z and said right-hand end of said vehicle, to which. end the chauffeurshifts his position. 'The Wheels 41 at the left-hand endbein'g then lowered and the wheels 41 at the right-handendibeing then raised, the vehicle is'in condition -to be progressed toward-the right.

The arrangement of the ing wheels 5 axially farther apart than the parallel tracks 37 aords a basal support .for the vehicl mally large "roportions andl capacity con-- templated. En this: connection it may be noted that the treads of said wheels -5are formed by blocks 65 of insulating material, so that/said wheels notonly support the vehicle mechanically independent of the rails 37, but alsoI electrically independent thereof, while the motors are in electrical connection therewith. l

It is to be understood that we do not-de plug be inserted -in the socket- 20 at the vehiclefsupport- IOO -IIO e .commensurate-with the-abnorsire to limit ourselves to the precise; con-..

struction and arrangement of'our invention herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications-may be made therein without departing from -the 'essential features of our@ inventio We claim* l' 1 In an electrically-propelled' vehicle which derives its 4meter-current-alternately in electrical connection therewith, substan-`- from an external supply system and from a storage battery carried by the vehicle, constructed and arranged tocoperate with a railway supply system which includes an overhead supply-wire land asubjacent track; a motor; ast'orage battery; means 'arranged A to removably connect, electrically, with said and subjacent track; and, wheels arra-n ed to support said Vvehicle independently ol said track while the vehicle is in electricalv connection therewith, saidivehicle-supp ortingwheels being axially .farther apart than said rails, substantially as set forth.

3. In an electrically-propelled vehicle which derives its motor-current alternately from an external supply system-and from a storage battery carried by the vehicle; a motor; a storage battery; means carried Vby the vehicle arranged to removably connect electrcally with a rail; and, wheels arranged to support said vehicle independently of said rail while said motor is in electrical connection therewith, substantially as set forth.4

4. In 'an .electrically-propelled vehicle which derives its motor-cnrrent'alternately from an external supply system and from a storage battery carried by fthe vehicle, constructed and arranged to coperate with'a railway supply system which includes an overhead supply-wire and a subjacent track; a motor; a storage battery; a pole'carried by the vehicle arranged to removably connect, electrically, with said overhead supply-wire; separate and distinct means res ectively located at the opposite ends of sai vehicle, arranged to removably connect with said track;

and, means'whereb said track-connecting y means may be raise and lowered in alterna-` tion at'the'respectively. opposite ends of the vehicle, substantially as set forth.

5. In l "an electrically -Ipropelled vehicle which derives its motor-currentl alternately from an external supply system, and from a storage battery carried by the vehicle, constructed and arranged to cooperate with a railway suppl system which includes an overhead supp y-wire and'a s'ubjacent track;

a motor; astorage battery; a pole carried by the'vehicle arranged to removably connect,

electrically, with said overhead'supply-wire; two electrical controllers, respectively at op posite` ends of saidvlticl means whereb 'said pole may be selectively connected with either of said controller's,'-se.parate and distinct means res ectively located at the opposite ends of said vehicle-"arranged to remov'` ably connect with vsaid track; and, means whereby saidtrack-connecting means may be independently raisedand lowered in alterl:nation at the respectively-opposite ends of the vehicle, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 23d da of May, 1906.'

' lUSSELL THAYER.

JOSEPH LEDWINKA. Witnesses:

ARTHUR E. PAIGE, CLIFTON C. HALLOWELL. 

